The American Heritage History of World War I
by S. L. A. Marshall
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"In the Bosnian town of Sarajevo on the morning of June 28, 1914, a chauffeur misunderstood his instructions, made the wrong turn, tried too late to correct his blunder, and in so doing, delivered his passengers to a point where a waiting assassin did not have to take aim to gun them down. Two rounds from one pistol and the world rocked. The crime was the small stone that loosened brings the avalanche."So begins Brigadier General S.L.A. Marshall's compelling narrative of the American show more Heritage History of World War I, a book that tells the story of the Great War from Sarajevo to Versailles.
Ten million men died; another 20 million were wounded. But it was not the numbers alone that made this the Great War. The flame thrower, the tank, and poison gas were introduced. Cavalry became obsolete; air combat and submarine warfare came of age. Old dynasties disintegrated; new nations appeared.
In this book, renowned military historian Marshall, a World War I veteran, describes and analyzes the origins, course, and immediate aftermath of the colossal conflict. The story begins with a look backward at a complacent world ensnared in a network of alliances. Out of this setting emerged the cunning diplomats and statesmen who maneuvered and blundered their countries into positions that made the war inevitable. Once committed, the nations of Europe aligned into two, mighty opposing forces, and went jauntily into war, each confident that the conflict would be over before it really began.
Marshall follows the personalities, strategies, errors, and the unremitting slaughter of the next four years. The story ends with the ill-conceived Treaty of Versailles, which sowed the seeds that would plunge the following generation into another world war.
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Member Reviews
A very thorough, but high level depiction of the events that led up to World War I, all of the major battles in all theaters, all the way through to the peace conferences at the end. This is focused at the army/corps level and mainly mentioned the chief leaders of each country. I thought it did a good job on the Austrian, Balkan, Turkish and Russian fronts and included some actions in the Middle East and Africa. Unlike today's histories, this did not get down to the small-unit or individual soldier level.
This is infantry focused. Aircraft and tanks are mentioned, but only as an aside. A very good overview.
This is infantry focused. Aircraft and tanks are mentioned, but only as an aside. A very good overview.
About halfway through this book I realized I had read it before - as a boy of eight, checking it out of the library. S.L.A. Marshall's book is fine so far as it goes, but it is outdated and far better books have been written about World War I since.
Unvarnished insight into this terrible time of killing populations and young soldiers.
A moderately detailed look at the battles in WWI if not the forces that led to them.
Too general sent to book sale
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Author Information
38+ Works 2,253 Members
Brigadier General S. L. A. Marshall (1900-1977) was an accomplished journalist, war correspondent, & historian. One of the preeminent American military writers of our time, he wrote more than thirty books. (Bowker Author Biography)
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The American Heritage History of World War I
- Important events
- World War I (1914 | 1918)
- Original language
- English
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 780
- Popularity
- 35,581
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.84)
- Languages
- Old English, English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 16
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 26
